Ore-feeder



G. JOHNSTON. ORE FEEDER.

(No Model.)

' No. 401,034. Patented'Apr. 9, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE JOHNSTON, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

ORE-FEEDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 401,034, dated April 9,1889. Application filed August 3, 1888, Serial No. 281,875. (No model.)

To all wlwm it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE JOHNSTON, of the city and county of SanFrancisco, State of California, have invented an Improvement inOre-Feeders; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the same.

My invention relates to that class of orefeeders in which a feedingdevice is located under and receives its ore from a hopper and isoperated by connections with the machine to which it supplies the ore;and my invention consists in the novel arrangement of hopper, horizontalrotating cylinder, and fixed feed-scraper, which I shall hereinafterfully describe.

The object of my invention is to provide an ore-feeder the discharge orfeed from which shall be uniform and regular, and whose operation willrequire but little exercise of power.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanationof my invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my orefeeder. Fig. 2is a view looking down into the hopper. Fig. 3 is a section through thecylinder.

A is the frame or stand of the feeder, carrying in its top the hopper B.

C is a rotary cylinder or roller mounted transversely on the frame-thatis to say,having its axis parallel with the sides of the hopper. Thiscylinder is located horizontally under the mouth of the hopper, the backwall of said hopper coming down well onto the surface of the cylinder.Connected with the bottom of one side of the hopper is a fixedguidefiange, D, extending over the surface of the cylinder to its frontend, and at a slight angle with the plane of its axis. Connected withthe bottom of the other side of the hopper is a scraper or feed flange,E, which extends over the surface of the cylinder to its forward end andat an angle with the plane of the axis of said cylinder.

F is'a discharge-plate, which is connected or formed with the projectingends of the two flanges, having, preferably, a small lip, f, extendinginto the recessed end of the cylinder, in order to form a close joint.The frontwall of the hopper at its bottom is cutout to form thedischarge-opening at b. The cylinder is given a rotary motion, eithercontinuous or intermittent, as the case may be, according to the machinewith which it is connected, by any of the ordinary means now in use. Toillustrate this I show one form of connections in which G is aclutch-disk on the end of the cylinder-shaft.

H is a pivoted lever connected at one end by the link h with an arm ofthe disk.

I is a rock-shaft connected with the lever and having a crank-arm, 'i,which is adapted to be struck, either directly or indirectly, by atappet (not here shown) of the stamp-stem of the battery with which theore-feeder is connected. I

The operation of my feeder is as follows: The ore passes down throughthe mouth of the hopper and rests upon the horizontal cylinder. Therotary motion of the cylinder carries the ore against the inclinedscraper or feed-flange E, which serves a purpose similar to that of thethread of a screw, carrying the ore forward on the cylinder anddirecting it into the discharge-plate F at its end. The ore is kept onthe cylinder by the guide-flange D on the other side. But a smallportion of ore at one time can fall down upon the cylinder, and thecylinder being horizontal the ore cannot run down it by gravity to anygreat extent, but must be fed off directly by the scraper-flange. Thisresults in a uniform and regular feed, and as but a stated quantity ofore can come from the hopper the service to the cylinder is regular andbut small power is required to impart to it the necessary movement, noris there any liability to choke or clog.

Having the cylinder C horizontal I find to be advantageous in preventingthe ore from rolling down over and from it, as it would have a tendencyto do were the cylinder mounted at an inclination. Being horizontal, thefeed is wholly dependent upon being carried against the fixed scraper,and therefore is more uaifcrm both in its passage from the hopper (foronly a certain amount can come from the hopper onto the horizontalcylinder) and in its discharge from the cylinder.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an ore-feeder, the combination of the hopper, the horizontalrotary cylinder mounted under the month of the hopper, with its axisparallel to the side thereof and to the flow of the material, the fixedscraper or feed flange extending from one side of the hopper over thecylinder to its forward end and at an angle with the plane of its axis,the fixed guide-flange extending from the other side of the hopper overthe cylinder to its forward end and at an angle with the plane of itsaxis, and the discharge-plate between the projecting ends of the twoflanges and at the end of the cylinder, substantially as hereindescribed.

2. In an ore-feeder, the combination of the hopper, the horizontalrotary cylindermounted under the month of the hopper with its axisparallel to the side thereof and to the flow of the material, saidcylinder having a recessed end, the fixed scraper or feed flangeextending from one side of the hopper over the cylinder to its forwardend and at an angle with the plane of its axis, the fixed guideflangeextending from the other side of the hopper over the cylinder to itsforward end and at an angle with the plane of its axis, and thedischarge-plate between the projecting ends of the two flanges and atthe end of the cylinder, said discharge-plate having a lip extendinginto the recessed end of the cylinder and forming a close joint,substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

GEORGE JOHNSTON. Witnesses:

S. H. NOURSE, H. 0. LEE.

